Thanks guys for the responses.
To get an honest answer, which on a world wide drum forum may be diverse and indecisive, additional info may help. Where are you located? Are you near a busy city centre where many established teachers already exist, or are you in a more off the grid location? supply and demand. If you feel you have something to offer there is nothing stopping you from putting your name out there and trying it out. I was put into a high profile teaching gig at 20 years old, way before I was ready or capable. but I had the drive and my teacher who was retiring basically planted me in his seat. I ended up teaching for a few years at 3 locations and had as many as 45 students at one time. I was able to learn as I taught and stayed ahead of my students learning curve and I found the experience very rewarding. Could they have found a better more experienced teacher? Of course, but my people skills were good and I did a great job helping a lot of young drummers. Now 30 years later I could re-enter this field and would have no problem, but I did found that 80% of the students were just looking for a friendship and practicing was minimal, or the parents were needing a babysitter.
I currently live in London in the UK, but I am planning on moving back North to Newcastle another UK city in the next year. This is a possible long term plan and I intend to re-connect with a number of drummers and teachers I know up there to get a feel for the market after I have moved.
What partly led me to the idea is that I've negotiated a deal with my fiance that in a couple of years when we buy a new house together, I'm being allowed to build a small sound proof 'studio' to play drums in, in the garden. Access to be able to practice anytime has long been my dream. whilst we were talking about this a mutual friend of ours, a pretty good guitarist, suggested I could teach using the space. Which led me to start thinking of it as a future possibility.
But given that this would still be a good few years away, I figure now is the time to learn and prepare and see if it is something I can do well enough to benefit some students.
1. Yes, you should take lessons from more than one teacher, and be a very serious student for a couple of years at least. It's not ethical to take people's money to teach them music without actually being competent. Most professional teachers have a lot of time and money invested their education, and you should, too.
2. A lot of people have education degrees, but usually you learn how to teach from the student's perspective in school, in lessons. And also on the job, teaching, and in the field, playing music.
3. You should focus on fundamentals-- reading, snare drum, rudiments, basic drumset.
4. I don't know what that is, and am not learning much from a quick google search. You should have training in it, at least some lessons from someone who teaches that way, to attempt it.
5. Sure, just make sure you know what you're doing first. Why should anyone pay you to teach them if you haven't made the effort to learn to do something as basic as learning read music fluently? You need to spend some time rounding out your skills and knowledge.
1. That is very sound advice, and the way you describe it is a way I hadn't fully appreciated. I need to treat this as almost going to get a degree in drumming, so that I have knowledge of the field as a whole and not just my own personal knowledge. And treat this the same way I would to go get any other job.
Although I don't see this as becomming my day job necessarily, I should still treat it with respect.
4. From what I gather in a music context it means you teach people what you know, as in you teach them the way you play and the things you do. To me it always sounded like a way to cheat. So without reading music or teaching students how to, you can still teach them something about how you play, but you arn't necessarily teaching them the way a normal teacher would. I wondered if it was a common thing people had heard of. My bands old bass player used to often consider this route, as although he was a great player, he couldn't read music anywhere near to the level he could play.
Todd has some excellent advice, as always!
I don't think you gave us much information about your background. A few questions:
- Do you read music - rhythmic and/or melodic notation?
- How did you lean to play? Was it from private lessons, school band, etc.? Did you have a mentor - someone whose teaching style you would like to emulate as you develop your own style?
- You mention that you want to teach beginners. Many beginners will be enrolling in school band. Are you familiar with the requirements of the schools in your area - see this post.
Jeff
Hi Jeff,
I can read ryhmic notation, but I can't sight read. By that I mean I couldn't be passed some sheet music and just play it. I can happily sit and decifer it and learn to play it though. At the moment I'm trying to teach myself how to break down other peoples grooves and fills, by programming them into music software using BFD (a drum VST). This is really broadening my understanding of sheet music allowing me to listen to something and then chart it out. I'm also trying to teach myself melodic notation as part of learning how to write songs.
As far as how I learnt to play. I had lessons for a brief period when I was young. But they were expensive and involved 4 students in different rooms, so in an hour I would maybe get 15 mins of teaching. The fact I could play more then than I could read frustrated me and I ended up ditching the lessons. But I have long harboured a feeling I'd like to go back and find a better teacher and learn from the ground up again. I believe that if I do that, add in some of my creativity and flair for the instrument, I could potentially have something of value to pass on to students. So by and large I taught myself, not to mention learning a lot from a number of talented people in bands I've been in.
I also feel that I have a deep rooted love for the instrument that I often saw was lacking in other drummers. I often saw at gigs all the guitarists from the bands on the line up huddled talking about pedals and strings and whatnot, but I found very few drummers who wanted to have the same discussions with me about drums!
Being in the UK, sadly we don't have the same musical traditions as the US. So school bands are not much of a thing here. The only place you can learn marching band drumming in the UK is as part of the CLB, Church Lads Brigade, if indeed they still exist!
I have a feeling that what I'm about to say is going to come over as horribly negative and perhaps even unkind. Obviously, I take responsibility for what I say and how I say it, but the last thing I want is to be hurtful.
My first impression was that your post was a classic "Those who cannot, teach". I know that isn't what you said, and I've gone back and re-read what you did say, but I'm still left with the feeling that you wouldn't be considering teaching if your career as a drummer had taken off.
Teaching is effectively a vocation. It needs to be: uniongoon makes some excellent points about the various types of student you will typically get, and what they need you to be for them. If you want to do your bit to help dozens of people become drummers, you may find yourself disappointed, I'm afraid, but the wonderful thing about being a teacher is that you are in the immensely privileged position of being able to make a difference, even if it isn't in the way you intended or envisaged, and that is just as valid as being able to turn out drummer after drummer after drummer.
I also agree that you need to be formally educated yourself in the subject/discipline you are going to teach. You have to be able to educate your students both formally and informally.
There's no harm in investigating the possibility of becoming a teacher. It isn't for everyone, and if it isn't for you, you'll find out soon enough. But if there's a chance that it might bring you its unique form of satisfaction and joy then for goodness sake, go for it.
Magenta, you are completely correct, had I made a living playing, I may not have considered teaching and I don't mind admitting that.
However, my fiance is a primary school teacher, so I definately don't subscribe to the old "those who can't teach" thing. I sat and had a long hard look at my, I suppose you could call career a few weeks ago. When I thought back, I realised that it wasn't until I got to university that I realised I was quite good at the drums, could join a band and that bands who were not famous played gigs! Now I know the internet has changed the landscape somewhat these days, but there are a lot of similar lessons I've learned over the years that I believe would be useful for students to hear.
My overall plan for the future. I'm writing my own stuff and hoping to collaborate with others, the singer from my old band moved to Germany ended up on a television show, did well and is now embarking on a so far quite successful solo career and I'm starting to help write material for her (which may or may not get used!). I also thought I might join a function/wedding band when I move back to the northeast, and explore the teaching angle.
In short (looking at how much I've written, not so short!) I want to enjoy the drums again, have fun, and yes, maybe make a little money.
Great advice so thank you.
I would say however that the only way to really learn how to teach is to do it. Every student learns in a different way, and will understand certain (different) things quicker than others will. After a while you'll have developed a number of teaching approaches that you can intuitively apply to students according to their individual needs. Have a go and see how you find it.
It is definately helpful that all your rsponse have pointed out where I should remove my rose tinted glasses, and that I should spend the next few years immersing myself in being taught at the very least, and then take a view from there.
So thank you all.
